
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, June 15, 1994                   TAG: 9406150015
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-7   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: By MELISSA DeVAUGHN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

MONTGOMERY SCHOOLS HAVE PLAN NOW FOR DEALING WITH NATURE

There's no fooling Mother Nature, but planners in the Montgomery County Schools are trying to at least be prepared for her. At its May 17 meeting, the School Board approved a calendar schedule that will accommodate up to six missed days of school before any rearranging is done to the180-day school calendar. Five more days could be missed under a state waiver without affecting the schedule.

"The main difference between the [new] calendar and last year's," said Russell Holladay, director of personnel, "is that there was no plan last year."

Students missed 17 days of school last year because of inclement weather. Schools had to rearrange the grading periods and reschedule midterm exams, and many classroom assignments went unfinished. With the new calendar, Holladay said, this will not be a problem.

"There is currently under development a plan for midterm exams, so this won't happen again," Holladay said. Principals at each school will make that decision, he added.

School will begin on a Monday, Aug. 29, and will be followed by a three-day break Sept. 5-7. Holladay said the State Board of Education requires all schools that choose to open before Labor Day to observe Labor Day and the two days following, which happen to be the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashana . Montgomery County lists Labor Day as a holiday and the following two days as "nonschool days." Yom Kippur, considered the most holy of Jewish holidays, is on Sept. 15, but schools will not be closed that day.

There are four calendar options: a best-case scenario, with no missed days of school, will result in a weeklong spring break April 10-14, and school will end June 6.

However, if the winter weather resembles that of last year, spring break will turn into a two-day break and school could end June 13 or later. In both scenarios, Holladay said, spring break will be held on Thursday and Friday, rather than the traditional Friday-Monday schedule.

Other changes in next year's schedule include:

Ten early release days at the end of the first, second, fourth, fifth and sixth grading periods, and other days throughout the school year.

Eleven professional workdays, all scheduled except for one in March to be announced by each school.

The opportunity to apply for a state waiver or use banked time if more than 15 days are missed.

by CNB